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Imogen Heap’s ‘Sparks’ due out next week

I’ve long been a fan of Imogen Heap; the intensity and intricacy of her music has always kept me interested. Her fourth album, “Sparks,” is set to hit next week, the result of a fairly lengthy journey, but one that appears to have been fruitful.

A couple of years ago, Imogen Heap began periodically releasing songs for what was to become her fourth solo album via a system called heapsongs, which also wove in sound samples contributed by fans and listeners from around the world. Now, we’re just days away from the release, but there’s not many surprises, given virtually all of the tracks have seen some sort of release, an experimental schedule that didn’t affect her creative capabilities at all.

Videos were released for many of the tracks as she went along as well, including “Lifeline,” above, while others, such as “Me the Machine,” at top, came out more recently. The end result is a pretty compelling package. The deluxe version offers instrumental versions of the songs, which will let listeners get a little closer to the sonic sampling included in the tracks. For Imogen Heap fans, this is a welcome return for a talented artist.

Additional listening

If you’re new to Imogen Heap, here’s a couple of other tracks to dive into as well. Above is “First Train Home,” off her third album.

Diving further back, here’s “Goodnight and Go.”

And finally, the impeccable “Hide and Seek.” You may recognize a chunk of this song repurposed for the chorus of Jason DeRulo’s “Whatcha Say,” below.